Cruel Renaissance Painting on view by an 8-year-old

Pieter Bruegel the Elder

“ The Dutch Proverbs”, 1559

In his paintings, people are like pearls fallen on the floor. They are chaotic, and still, you can see a picture in that, you can see an interaction between them and see the patterns. Probably one may look at Breugels paintings like a viewer from atop to the fallen bunch of pearls.

When I looked at Breugel’s painting in the Old Art Museum in Berlin, I saw both personal stories and religious lessons about sins. So it’s a tough task to understand Breugel. You must read and think. But when I look at the painting, I want to be a small girl, and in fact, I become one. In my childhood, I loved making stories out of things I observe. Breugel’s painting was a delight to my eye and to my inner child to just have fun and go crazy with all the detailed stories about people in the painting. You just observe and watch actual stories unfold.

When I was about 8 years old, I ran outside right after the rain to play in paddles. Proud to own insider information, I had to hurry in order to catch enough water running down the hilly roads with dirt. 20 minutes was the absolute maximum. I created worlds with crocodiles made of styrofoam swimming down the hill and dozens of tiny people characters.

This childish excitement was felt near a Breugel painting. I was no longer in a quiet museum room. I was reminded of mine and watching another kid’s invented imaginary world.

It’s like a visual fairy tale, where one does not have to work hard, you can just look and enjoy the unfolding story. Yes, it’s not always fun as in childhood but deep with visual details, so it can take hours to review one painting. It is even before you start to read the symbolism of each item. Breugel paintings have some negative feelings, and they are part of life. Thanks to them one feels life richer and more real. That’s applicable to this painting as well.

That’s what happened in the Berlin museum. I had to leave the painting only because I was tired of standing for too long in front of it and because the stories were overwhelming for the eyes of an 8-year old.